Pierpaolo Piccioli Unveils First Collection as Balenciaga Creative Director
Paris – Pierpaolo Piccioli debuted his first collection for Balenciaga Saturday night, marking a significant new era for the couture house following the departure of Demna in May. A high-profile audience, including Anne Hathaway, Tracee Ellis Ross, FKA Twigs, and Meghan Markle, attended the show too witness Piccioli’s vision.
Piccioli’s collection served as a direct conversation with the work of Balenciaga founder Cristobal Balenciaga, reinterpreting his iconic designs for a contemporary audience while injecting his signature use of color.The show opened with a reimagining of the 1957 sack dress-a revolutionary silhouette at the time-paired with opera gloves, black pumps, and oversized sunglasses.
Further nods to Cristobal’s legacy included a bright chartreuse cocoon coat,an indigo halterneck babydoll dress,and variations on the 1967 wedding dress silhouette,appearing as both a cropped crepe top and a leather cape. The balloon dress was subtly referenced in a merlot leather jacket and more explicitly in bubble-hemmed trousers,dresses,and skirts in shades of black,emerald,and pink.
Piccioli also acknowledged his predecessor, Demna, with the inclusion of baggy jeans and shorts, and futuristic sunglasses. However, the collection’s strength lay in its elevation of everyday pieces-leather jackets, T-shirts, chinos, and sunglasses-through couture construction techniques. Cristobal Balenciaga was widely known as ‘The Master’ of haute couture, and Piccioli’s approach is seen by many as a fitting tribute to the house’s founder.
